Golden State erased a 16-point deficit to defeat Dallas in Friday’s decisive first-round clash. The Valkyries will host the Las Vegas Aces in Sunday’s semifinal opener.
The Golden State Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the Dallas Wings 77-73 on Friday night at Chase Center, providing a dramatic finish on the board for fans checking the latest WNBA scores.
The winner-take-all victory in the Valkyries vs Wings matchup closed out the first-round series 2-1 and sent Golden State to the first semifinals in franchise history. Forward Gabby Williams helped lift the Valkyries to the win after Dallas pushed the series to a third game earlier in the week.
In that second game, Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale scored a WNBA playoff-record 45 points during a 108-100 overtime win. Williams scored 36 points in that loss after recording 20 points in 27 minutes during Golden State’s blowout win in Game 1. The Valkyries entered Friday’s contest with a 17-5 home record, while Dallas was 11-11 away from its home floor.
Friday’s victory leaves Golden State one step closer to ownership’s mandate to win a league championship within five years. A year after becoming the first team to reach the postseason in its expansion season, the Valkyries will move on to face Las Vegas. The Aces secured their semifinal spot Thursday by beating the Indiana Fever 94-83 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
According to the WNBA playoffs schedule, the Valkyries will host the third-seeded Aces for Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern time.
